I'll be upgrading my HTPC soon and have been holding off in anticipation of the new i3 Haswell processors. Now that these things are (nominally) out there...has anyone had any experience of building a rig with the i3-4330T? Particularly interested in the GPU/video performance. I'm not finding any reviews about these just yet.

Haswell dual core were not available on release, checking the mayor etailers, the only one they have on stock is is the i3 4330, was added September 4, 2013, so i doubt anyone have any experience yet. It seems like a nice CPU 3.5ghz dual core with hyperthreading, iGPU 4600. The only reason to go for the T in my opinion is the lower profile cooler intel includes on the Ts, else just go with the standard i3 4330, both should downclock to the same mhz and consume the same power at idle, they will consume more at load due to higher clocks but will also finish task faster, etc. You can limit the clocks on windows also, so imo its better to buy the none Ts, as you are paying for a factory cripple performance cpu.

That said depends a lot into what you going to use on your HTPC, for example the Pentimums/Celerons were enough for standard 1080p playback, even the lower igpu was fine, but some like to use more complex algorithms to play their movies like Lav filters + Madvr where it might matter having an i3 with a better iGPU.

Another thing you should check is the NUC, there will be a refresh of it on Haswell and it will come with intel iGPU HD5000 higher than desktop cpus, Intel's updated NUC squeezes in Haswell Core-i5, HD 5000 4K graphics, since you posted on your other thread about consumptions, this should end up very low, it will probably use a mobile dual core.

Ah. That would definitely explain the lack of reviews and real-world implementations. I'm not in any hurry so can wait a bit.

I run MePo, so will be using LAV filters. There's an article on anandtech which looks at the HD4600 iGPU and it seems eminently capable of handling the demands I will throw at it. There's some issues with the very high detail settings for MadVR but I've no intention of heading down that route.

Interested in the NUC information, thanks for that. I like the form-factor and the addition of the HD5000 gpu makes it an attractive proposition. I'll check out the reviews when it comes out, if the review of the last generation on SPCR is any indication, it could be a go-er...

Appreciate the help. Thanks.

**EDIT**Just noticed the NUC doesn't have a dedicated audio output. That's a bit of a killer for HTPC applications, imo...

Yes the haswell nucs have my eye as well. Has anyone read anything which suggests intel will be releasing low profile mini-itx boards socket 1150. I am also looking for a very low power htpc/server or a very low powered server + htpc nuc - either option is good.

Just noticed the NUC doesn't have a dedicated audio output. That's a bit of a killer for HTPC applications, imo...

Use HDMI for audio.

One thing to wait for in the reviews - earlier models that shipped with wifi had a disfunctional physical layout - the wifi card sat on top of the RAM. This caused thermal issues. Perhaps the new version fixes this...or you can do without the module...or you can look toward some OEM versions in this form factor with better layout/cooling.

My guess is that intel was waiting for the dual cores i3, celeron and pentiums to be released to release mini ITX motherboards. On Z87 i think most building will go for aftermarket. Intel motherboards seems more ideal for HTPC or low powered setup, and since no lower end CPU were out...

Just noticed the NUC doesn't have a dedicated audio output. That's a bit of a killer for HTPC applications, imo...

Use HDMI for audio.

One thing to wait for in the reviews - earlier models that shipped with wifi had a disfunctional physical layout - the wifi card sat on top of the RAM. This caused thermal issues. Perhaps the new version fixes this...or you can do without the module...or you can look toward some OEM versions in this form factor with better layout/cooling.

Unfortunately, my Amp doesn't take HDMI...not keen on buying another one as it pretty much does everything else I need. I generally run HDMI to my TV and Digital audio to my amp. No matter. I'll just build something.

Unfortunately, my Amp doesn't take HDMI...not keen on buying another one as it pretty much does everything else I need. I generally run HDMI to my TV and Digital audio to my amp. No matter. I'll just build something.

Your TV may be able to pass audio from HDMI to its TOSLINK output if it has one. Obviously it would be limited to formats that TOSLINK/SPDIF support, but if it works great. Some TVs support this, some don't so it's worth trying. A few TVs support this, but don't report their capabilities properly over HDMI. In that case look for a monitor driver that overrides what the TV claims it can do,

You know...it hadn't even occurred to me that my TV might have audio out. My current setup lacks an HDMI out (I use a DVI to HDMI converter for video and separate toslink audio) so audio over HDMI has never been something I've considered/looked at. I've checked, and sure enough there's an optical audio out nestled in amongst the sockets. I'll give it a test over the next couple of days, see how well it functions. Appreciate the heads-up.

**Edit**Sadly my TV doesn't pass 5.1, only PCM. That pretty much rules out using it as an audio passthru.

I'm in a similar situation; HDMI for video, Optical SPDIF (Toslink) for audio. I'm thinking about something like a V-Link and I like Musical Fidelity. I'm very happy with my V-DAC. Don't know how OS dependent such a solution would be though, anyone know how Linux support is for stuff like this?

I'm in a similar situation; HDMI for video, Optical SPDIF (Toslink) for audio. I'm thinking about something like a V-Link and I like Musical Fidelity. I'm very happy with my V-DAC. Don't know how OS dependent such a solution would be though, anyone know how Linux support is for stuff like this?

Mmm...perhaps...but I'd like to avoid having to add any USB kit to the solution. Doing so pretty much defeats the object of having a pre-built rig, in my opinion. It's a shame that intel chose to build the NUC without any audio connectivity. I'm sure they did it to keep costs down but it's a pretty important piece of connectivity for HTPC use...a real shame. I think I'll wait a while longer and build a rig myself, it's the only sure way to get exactly what you want.

A bit of a hassle and extra cost with another piece of equipment, sure. Two small boxes or a single bigger one? The thing would be hidden behind the TV bench (along with various other stuff I don't need to look at or touch). No surprise that optical out is disappearing now that HDMI is widespread.

I'm in a similar situation; HDMI for video, Optical SPDIF (Toslink) for audio. I'm thinking about something like a V-Link and I like Musical Fidelity. I'm very happy with my V-DAC. Don't know how OS dependent such a solution would be though, anyone know how Linux support is for stuff like this?

Mmm...perhaps...but I'd like to avoid having to add any USB kit to the solution. Doing so pretty much defeats the object of having a pre-built rig, in my opinion. It's a shame that intel chose to build the NUC without any audio connectivity. I'm sure they did it to keep costs down but it's a pretty important piece of connectivity for HTPC use...a real shame. I think I'll wait a while longer and build a rig myself, it's the only sure way to get exactly what you want.

I was in this dilemma like 4 years ago, having a good receiver with no hdmi only optical, i don't know if DTS connect was out, but went the route of a separate amp and using analog 3.5 stereo to RCA.

I think you should wait some time, Intel has released the i3 4330 and the Pentrium 3320, but there are lot of dual cores still to come, specially the celerons are rummored to be released until 2014. Intel dont have any mini ITX, like they released with sandy and ivy bridge, so my guess is in the next months we will see more dual cores and more intel motherboards and probably the H87 versions should have optical out.

Another option would be just to build with another manufacturer, one mobo that has caught my eyes for mini itx not so expensive build is ASUS H87I-PLUS, has optical, hdmi, intel on board lan, more cenetered cpu socket, and FanXpert,

Cheaper motherboards without optical out on the backplate often have a header onboard, making it possible to add a bracket.

Checking other motherboard for the cheapest with optical, i found one that seems loaded with connection, not my favorite brand, but seems like a good package, ASRock H81M-ITX, for the price i would pair it Intel Pentium G3220, for less than $135.

Cheaper motherboards without optical out on the backplate often have a header onboard, making it possible to add a bracket.

If you don't mind a bit of a "ghetto" connection, you can take a two pin header cable (like used for the power/reset buttons and HD LED on cases) and splice it onto an RCA cable. This works fine connected to a coax SPDIF connector. It saves you from having to find one of the backplate brackets. Just make sure you connect it to the SPDIF output and ground pins, not the +5V that is often one of the pins. Look up the pin assignments in your MB manual. Many receivers that don't have HDMI have both TOSLINK/OPTICAL and SPDIF/RCA connections.

Another option if your receiver supports it is 3 X 1.8" stereo jacks to 6 X RCA connectors. All the decoding would have to be done in your PC, but it still gives you 5.1 sound.

If you don't mind a bit of a "ghetto" connection, you can take a two pin header cable (like used for the power/reset buttons and HD LED on cases) and splice it onto an RCA cable. This works fine connected to a coax SPDIF connector. It saves you from having to find one of the backplate brackets. Just make sure you connect it to the SPDIF output and ground pins, not the +5V that is often one of the pins. Look up the pin assignments in your MB manual. Many receivers that don't have HDMI have both TOSLINK/OPTICAL and SPDIF/RCA connections.

Yeah, I actually put together a bracket a while back. Mostly for fun. :) They are cheap on eBay, if less "ghetto" look is required.

Checking other motherboard for the cheapest with optical, i found one that seems loaded with connection, not my favorite brand, but seems like a good package, ASRock H81M-ITX, for the price i would pair it Intel Pentium G3220, for less than $135.

I just put this together with a haswell 4130T processor. It works well. Board was mostly incompatible with my old 64gb SSD. Their tech support blamed the intel chipset. A new Samsung SSD works fine.

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